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FLUID METER.

No. 575,991. Patented Jan. 26,1897.

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' FLUID METER.

Patented Jan, 26, 1897.

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FLUID METER.

No. 575,991. "PatentedJaJn. 26, 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ILLIAM A. G. SOI-IGNI-IEYDER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

FLUID-METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 575,991, dated January 26, 1897. Application filed June 15,1896. Serial No. 595,647. (No model.) Patented in England March 6, 1894, No. 4,702.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM ANTON Go'rr- LIEB SCHiiNHEYDER, a citizen of Denmark, residing at No. 4 Rosebery Road, Clapham Park, London, in the county of Surrey, England, have invented an Improved Construction of Fluid-Meters, (for which I have obtained Let ters Patent in Great Britain, No. 4,702, dated March 6, 1894,) of which the following is a specification.

According to my invention I construct a fluid-meter as follows:

IVithin a closed chamber that communicates with the supply of fiuid under pressure are three cylinders with pistons arranged at equal distances around a central pillar containing ports and passages, as will be presentlydescribed. These cylinders are bypreference open at both ends, and are fixed in seatings in the chamber in such manner as to form below the one end of each cylinder an inclosed space that only communicates with the other part of the chamber and the discharge-passage through ports and passages in the central pillar. The other end of the cylinders is in open communication with the chamber, so as to be always subject to the pressure of the liquid therein. The upper end of the pillar has ahemispherical head, and on the accurately-prepared spherical surface of this fits a corresponding hemispherical cap. This cap, which constitutes a slide-valve, is connected to and actuated by three arms, to which are connected the piston-rods of the three cylinders by'ballwand-socket joints.

The central pillar has, first, a central passage communicating at bottom with a discharge-passage and at top with a central port ,on the hemispherical head, and it has three other passages arranged round the central one, each of which communicates at the lower end with the space below one of the cylinders and at the upper end with a port on the hemispherical head, which ports are arranged symmetrically round the before-mentioned central port. The cap, which constitutes a slidevalve controlling these ports, has a central cavity of such a form that it can establish a communication between the central port and any one or two of the three other ports, thereby putting such port and consequently the space below the corresponding cylinder in commu features of my invention, I will now proceed to more particularly describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a vertical section of one construction of the said fluid-meter. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan, and Fig. 3 is aplan, of the slidevalve. Fig. 4 is a part vertical section of a modified arrangement. Fig. 5 is a sectional plaln thereof, and Fig. 6 shows a sectional detai Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, A is the closed casing or chamber, communicating at B with the supply of fluid and at B with the discharge.

O O C are three cylinders fixed in the casingso as to form an inclosed space beneath them, as shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 1, and arranged at equal distances apart round the center. In these cylinders work pistons D D D whose rods d d d have spherical heads fitting in corresponding sockets in arms E E E of the hemispherical slide-valve E, that rests upon the hemispherical head F, fixed on the top of the central pillar A of the casing A, which pillar contains ports and passages communicating with'the several cylin ders, as will be presently described.

The inclosed space G below each cylinder communicates by a lateral passage G, Fig. 2, with one of three passages H H H leading up through the pillar and through the spherical head,where they terminate in corresponding ports h 77, If, as shown in dotted lines at Fig. 3. The pillar and head have also a central exhaust-passage I, communicating at bottom by a passage 1 and closed chamber I with the discharge B. The inlet B communicates with a space J, preferably inclosed by a strainer J, through which theliquid under pressure flows into the upper part of the easing A.

The hemispherical slide-valve E fits fluidtight upon the hemispherical head F and has three ports 6 c 6 corresponding in position to the ports h 71 ha, and it also has a central cavity 6, adapted to establish a communication between the ports h and the central exhaust-port I. When the valve is in the central position shown at Fig. 3, all three of the ports h 71. h" are covered thereby, the ports 6 e 6 being then in such a position relative thereto that a slight inclination of the slidevalve to the one side or the other would cause one of its ports to uncover one of the ports h and its cavity 6 to establish a communication with another of the ports. Practically when the meter is in a state of rest the slide-valve is always in a more or less inclined position, so that one or other of the ports 7L would be uncovered and another one put in communication with I by the cavity 6. Assuming this to be the case and that the port 71 is in communication with cavity e, and consequently the space G of cylinder C in communication through II If I I with the disl charge B, then the fluid-pressure in A wilforce down piston D expelling the liquid from the space G and at the same time drawing downward the arm E of the slide-valve E, so that this is inclined to a greater extent upon the cap F toward C By this motion the slide-valve is made gradually to close the communication between port 71 and the exhaust I and to establish the communication between port 7L and I, so that the space G below piston D, which has previously become filled with liquid through the open port 7L by the upward motion of that piston caused by the motion of the slide-valve, is now put in communication with the exhaust, and piston D is consequently forced downward by the liquid under pressure in A, whereby the slidevalve is moved over toward 0, gradually closing the exhaust of that cylinder and opening that of C and so on in continuous rotation. By this consecutive action of the pistons upon the slide-valve this will receive a kind of rolling motion upon the hemispherical head F, causing a finger E projecting up from its apex, to describe a conical path, as indicated by the dotted lines a; an, round the vertical axial line, whereby it is able to rotate a radial arm K on a spindle K, passing through the casing A into a chamber A above, where its motion is communicated by any suitable known gear to a counter fixed upon such chamber, and which is consequently made to register at each revolution of spindle the volumes of liquid represented by the strokes of each of the three cylinders, such strokes being made to constitute a definite capacity.

Although the slide-valve has the above described rolling motion, it has no rotary motion round the axial line, and in order to insure that it shall be perfectly stationary in this respect its edge is provided with a series of project-ing fingers E, which, as the slidevalve rolls round, slide in and out of slotted guide-pieces F, projecting from the head F. The rotation of the valve may also be prevented by combining therewith the wellknown gimbal-ring device, the valve being connected by opposite pivots to a gimbal-rin g, which is connected by pivots at right angles to a fixed support.

In order to control the length of the stroke of the pistons, a conical flange F is formed round the head F and a similar one E on the head, so that as the valve rolls round the flange E thereof rolls upon F thus giving the slide-valve, together with the arms E E and the piston connected thereto, a definite extent of motion.

Although I have described the slide-valve as having the arms for attachment to the piston-rods formed in one therewith, they may for facility of manufacture and adjustment be made part of a separate frame fitted onto the slide-valve, so as to cause this to move in the described manner when actuated by the pistons.

It will be evident that instead of making the pillar-head convex and the slide-valve concave the head may be concave and the valve convex; also that there might be a greater number than three cylinders with a corresponding number of ports and passages.

Figs. 4 to (5 show a modified construction in which the arms E, that serve to connect the spherical slide E to the pistons of the cylinders O, are formed on a disk E separate from the valve itself and rocking on a separate spherical support R, the disk E being connected to the valve E by pins E fitting into recesses in the valve, so as to impart its motion thereto. By this arrangement any Wear between the disk E and its support R will not affect the action of the valve, and also any wear of the latter on its seat will not affeet the correct action of the disk E arms E &c., and pistons. Should the support R wear materially, it can be readily removed and replaced by a new one. It is carried by a tripod-stand R, having slots R through which the pins E of the disk E pass, guide-pieces B being formed on each side of the slots, which thus take the place of the guides F of the first-described construction in preventing the rotation of the disk E and valve E, and which project through holes E of the disk E as this rocks. The other parts of the meter are the same as previously described and are designated by the same letters of reference, and need therefore not be further referred to.

The valve E is in this case made with a convex working face and its seat concave.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and the best means I know for carryin g the same into practical effect, I claim 1. In a fluid-meter, a slide-valve with spher ical working face Working on a spherical valve-seat, Within a closed chamber supplied with fluid, cylinders with pistons arranged around such valve and seat, ports and passages leading from such cylinders to the valve-seat, arms connected on the one hand to the said slide-valve and on the other hand to the pistons of the cylinders and adapted to receive a rolling motion from the latter which motion is imparted to the slide-valve so as to alternately cover and uncover the ports in the seat and thereby to control the passage of liquid to and from the cylinders, and a counter receiving motion from the said arms, substantially as described.

2. In a fluid meter, the combination of three or more cylinders with pistons arranged within a closed casing round a central pillar having ports and passages leading to and from the said cylinders and having a hemispherical head on which fits a hemispherical slide-valve, actuated by arms connected to the pistons of the said cylinders, which slidevalve governs the ports leading to the cylinders whereby these are put successively in communication with a discharge-passage the fluid-pressure supplied to the casing being made to move the pistons so as to successively discharge the fluid previously admitted and to admit a fresh charge, While the motion of the pistons and the slide-valve is imparted by suitable means to a counter, substantially as described.

3. In a fluid-meter, the combination of a casing A, supplied with fluid-pressure cylinders O C C with pistons D D D arranged round a central pillar A having passages H H H leading to and from the cylinders, an exhaust-passage I communicating with a discharge B, a hemispherical head F having ports h 712 72, communicating with the passages in the pillar, a hemispherical slidevalve E connected by arms E to the rods of the pistons D, said slide-valve receiving a rolling motion upon the head F whereby it is made to control the supply of liquid to and its discharge from the cylinders, while a rotary motion is imparted thereby to a shaft K substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 1st day of June, A. D. 1896.

WILLIAM A. e. SOHGNHEYDER.

\Vitnesses:

OLIVER IMRAY, J NO. P. M. MILLARD. 

